Oxygen humidifiers for humidifying an oxygen supply prior to inhalation by a user are known in the art. Such oxygen humidifiers are useful, and often necessary, for users with sensitive lungs that require long-term or short-term assisted breathing. The oxygen humidifiers humidify a flow of dry oxygen from an oxygen source and supply a stream of humidified oxygen to a user.
Typical oxygen humidifiers include a container for storing water and a cap or lid that covers the container. An oxygen inlet line provides dry oxygen with a low percent humidity through a port in the cap. The dry oxygen is introduced into the fluid through an outlet positioned within the water. As the dry oxygen is released into the water and filters up to the surface of the water, water molecules diffuse into the dry oxygen. Accordingly, the oxygen emitting from the water contains more water molecules or moisture than the dry oxygen initially released into the water. Oxygen humidifiers also include an oxygen outlet line that receives humidified oxygen from the container through another port in the cap. The oxygen outlet line terminates at a breathing apparatus that is usable by a user to access the humidified oxygen.
Because water molecules in the container are being added to the oxygen being released to a user for inhalation, the amount of water stored in the container is depleted over time. Therefore, from time-to-time, water must be added to the container to replenish the water lost during use of the oxygen humidifier. To add water to the container, the cap or lid of conventional oxygen humidifiers is designed to be removable. For example, the cap and container of conventional humidifiers include respective mating threads. The mating threads are rotatably engageable with each other such that rotation of the cap in one direction relative to the container loosens the cap from the container and rotation of the cap in an opposite direction relative to the container tightens the cap against the container. Although threaded connections of this type are common, cross-threading between the threads of the cap and container (or mis-threading the threads of the cap with the threads of the container) is common. When cross-threading occurs, the seal between the cap and container is broken and the oxygen humidifier fails to operate properly. Further, cross-threading is not easily detectable. Moreover, because the cap is completely removed from the container, the cap is prone to misplacement and being lost, as well as contamination. Additionally, unscrewing a lid from a container and screwing a lid onto a container requires a relatively high level of dexterity and manual involvement (e.g., the use of multiple fingers of at least one hand).
Additionally, conventional oxygen humidifiers use various techniques and devices to release dry oxygen into the water. However, such techniques and devices each suffer from various shortcomings. For example, most conventional oxygen humidifiers fail to distribute the released oxygen into the water widely enough, uniformly enough, and away from the sides of the container where oxygen tends to accumulate.